Happiness In Brave New World, By Aldous Huxley

True happiness cannot be manufactured through artificial means. In the novel “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley, artificial happiness is used as a means of control over the world state through the use of “soma”. Citizens use this drug regularly as a form of artificial happiness to satisfy their superficial need for pleasure hence keeping them controlled, satisfied and ignorant. Considering this, they lack passions in both love and personal interest. Furthermore, they lack endeavors and are thus bound to their everyday lives. Lastly, as the citizens do not experience negative emotions, they will never know what true happiness is due to their lack of contrast. The character Lenina Crowne is conflicted by her lack passions in her relationships

In the world state, everyone takes soma to remain satisfied on a superficial level such that they could be enslaved by its effects. As it is an artificial replacement for happiness, the citizens of the controlled society are conditioned to believe that this shallow replacement is what happiness is limited to. Thus, they are enslaved by its effects. To begin with, soma does not allow anyone to resolve their conflicts and issues. The citizens are conditioned to rely on soma as an escape from their conflicts “‘And if ever, by some unlucky chance, anything unpleasant should somehow happen, why, there's always soma to give you a holiday from the facts.’” (209) . They never feel the dread of dealing with a conflict nor do they face negative emotions when a conflict arises. This causes a lack of contrast in their emotions and in hand results in the citizens being unable to truly feel happiness. Soma is also used to prevent the enslaved citizens from thinking beyond what they are conditioned to know. ‘“…why don’t you take a soma when you have these dreadful ideas of yours. You’d forget all about them.”’ (79) At the thought of individuality in a society, Lenina feels repulsed as she is conditioned to do so. On the other hand, Bernard believes that having a sense of individuality is to have passion. Lenina’s response to Bernard’s thoughts that go beyond her conditioning and that furthermore violate the idea of obstructing

To begin with, the character Bernard Marx strives for what he cannot currently have: passion. Due to his physical shortcoming, he finds himself isolated from the rest of the controlled society as he does not fit in according to his conditioning. Thus, he realizes the existence of his individuality. “‘I want to know what passion is,’… ‘I want to feel something strongly.’” (81). Bernard strives to understand passion as he realizes that happiness means more than the artificial comfort gained from soma and sex. He wants to feel true happiness thus striving for something beyond his reach in the world state. Thus, Bernard cannot be happy in the world state as it lacks the existence of passion. To continue, the character Helmholtz Watson also realizes his existence as an individual and furthermore sees the shallowness in the society surrounding him due to his mental excess. “‘Oh, as far as they go." Helmholtz shrugged his shoulders. "But they go such a little way. They aren't important enough, somehow. I feel I could do something much more important. Yes, and more intense, more violent. But what? What is there more important to say?’” Helmholtz holds endeavors to write provocative words that go beyond his